Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Zhu Di rode his somersault cloud and circled over Yingtian Prefecture. The flight became smoother and smoother. At first, he carefully kept his speed at a level not much faster than a carriage, but later he let loose completely and the speed increased.

The fields, rivers, and cities beneath his feet rushed past, and as Zhu Di watched the clouds sweep past him, a surge of unprecedented pride welled up within him.

He suddenly turned to Zhu Gaoxi, who was riding the clouds beside him, and asked, "Fourth brother, how fast can these clouds fly at the fastest?"

Zhu Gaoxi casually replied, "An ordinary person could probably fly four or five hundred li per hour. It would take a day to get from the capital to Guangzhou."

Zhu Di nearly lost his footing. Traveling four or five hundred li per hour, they arrived in Guangzhou in a day.

How many horses would die trying to cover a distance that requires an urgent courier service of 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers) without changing riders? Could this cloud travel that distance in a single day? He leaned against the cloud wall, his mind racing, and asked, "What if it flew around the entire Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Gaoxi thought for a moment: "The northern and southern borders of the Ming Dynasty are about ten thousand li, which means it will take less than a day and a half."

"Miaoyun, after I abdicate, I will take you on this somersault cloud and let you see every inch of the Ming Dynasty's land." Zhu Di tightened his grip on the cloud wall slightly and suddenly turned to look at Empress Xu beside him.

Empress Xu's lips moved, but before she could say anything, Zhu Gaoxi silently moved aside, shifting his gaze to the distant sunset, pretending to study the cloud patterns. She thought to herself: This old Zhu is putting on a show of deep affection.

He coughed lightly, breaking the delicate atmosphere: "Father, Mother, we've flown enough. Your son will take you to a nice place."

Zhu Di and Empress Xu were both taken aback. Empress Xu looked around; the sky was blue with white clouds, and the streets and alleys of Yingtian Prefecture were below. Where was there any "good place"?

She turned to look at Zhu Gaoxi, puzzled, and asked, "Xi'er, where are you taking us? There are only clouds in the sky, where can we go?"

Zhu Di frowned and looked around, then at his fourth son. Knowing his son as he did, if someone said "good place," then it was definitely not an ordinary place.

He was also very curious and asked, "Fourth brother, stop keeping me in suspense, what place is it?"

Zhu Gaoxi smiled but didn't answer, only giving Liu Shen a look. Liu Shen nodded slightly, raised her hand and waved it lightly, a pale blue light flew from her fingertip and silently disappeared into the void not far ahead.

Right in front of Zhu Di and Empress Xu, about a hundred paces away, the previously empty blue sky suddenly trembled, like a stone being thrown into a piece of transparent glass, creating ripples.

Immediately afterwards, a huge transparent light shield slowly appeared, and within that light shield stood a palace.

In front of the palace was a small square, with a spirit stone lamp standing on each side. Behind the palace, wisteria vines hung down, and flowers bloomed in abundance in the garden. The most wonderful thing was the viewing platform in front of the palace, with a transparent ground that allowed one to take in the entire Yingtian Prefecture. The entire palace seemed to float above the white clouds, enveloped by a protective barrier.

Zhu Di stood frozen in place, as if struck by a spell. He had seen the Prince Rui's mansion, which his fourth son had built out of thin air in the blink of an eye, and he had also seen dragons. He thought he was immune to the word "shock."

"What...what is this?" Many things raced through his mind: celestial palaces, heavenly courts, the legendary Lingxiao Palace, and Penglai Island from folk tales.

"Ah...this is...this is a palace in the sky?" Empress Xu stood beside him, covering her mouth.

Zhu Gaoxi rode the lightning to the edge of the barrier, gestured with his hand to invite, and said with a smile, "Father, Mother, please don't stand outside and watch. This is my palace in the heavens, called the Heavenly Palace. Please come in."

Zhu Di turned to look at Zhu Gaoxi: "Fourth Prince, is this the Lingxiao Palace?!"

Empress Xu also came to her senses, patted her chest, and said with a hint of shock in her voice, "Fourth Prince, don't scare me like that next time. Suddenly conjuring up such a big palace, my heart can't take it."

Zhu Gaoxi smiled and apologized. Liu Shen raised her hand again, and the barrier automatically parted to create an entrance. Zhu Di and Empress Xu rode their somersault cloud and slowly flew into the barrier.

Empress Xu was the first to walk to the edge of the viewing platform. She carefully stepped onto the transparent ground, looked around for a while, and then waved to Zhu Di, her voice filled with excitement: "Your Majesty, come and see! From here, you can see the entire Yingtian Prefecture! You can even see the Qinhuai River!"

Zhu Di walked over, stood next to her, and looked down at her: "Hmm, my palace looks a bit small."

He pointed to the palace below and asked, "Why is the green tile on the Fengtian Hall so small? Did those people in the Ministry of Works cut corners?"

Empress Xu rolled her eyes at him: "Looking down from such a high place, what do you mean 'not big'? Look at your own Yongle flower, from here it looks like a steamed bun."

Empress Xu had completely lost her imperial composure. She wandered from one palace to another, touching the white jade pillars, tapping on the rosewood beams, and then ran to the back garden to squat down and examine the flowers. "These flowers are real! And they even smell sweet!"

She looked up at the wisteria hanging from the trellis, and gently touched a tender leaf on the vine. "This wisteria is real. Xi'er, did you plant all the flowers and plants in this garden? How come they're growing so well?"

Zhu Gaoxi leaned against the pillar and nodded with a smile: "I'm glad Mother is happy. You can come up anytime you want. The barrier has already remembered your presence. When your little cotton ball flies here, the barrier will open by itself."

Zhu Di toured the entire Heavenly Palace, examining every corner meticulously. He walked on the transparent ground of the observation deck again and again, and touched the wisteria in the back garden repeatedly. Empress Xu laughed at him, saying that he had completely abandoned the imperial airs he had cultivated in the palace for decades.

Zhu Di wasn't annoyed. He walked to the edge of the viewing platform with his hands behind his back and looked down, already making plans in his mind. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he prepared his words for the morning court session the next day.

When he first heard today that Xiao Jin had shed its scales and couldn't ride it for the time being, his heart skipped a beat.

After all, the boast of personally leading an expedition to Annam on a dragon had already been circulated in the court, and all the officials knew that he was going to ride a golden dragon to scare the rebels to death, but the dragon ended up lying down.

Now that's great, with this Heavenly Palace, why bother riding a dragon? A dragon is a mount, while the Heavenly Palace is a royal palace; they're completely different levels.

He imagined the Tiangong spaceship slowly descending over Annam. The rebels looked up and saw a celestial palace floating in the clouds, blotting out the sun—what a sight that would be! The opposing army would surely cry out: "The Ming emperor is an immortal! Immortal, please spare us!"... They could easily take down these barbarians!

Li Shimin was honored as the Heavenly Khan, but that was an empty title given by the various tribes of the grasslands out of consideration for his cavalry. Zhu Di, on the other hand, arrived riding on a celestial palace; he was the true "Heavenly" Khan.

How will history books record it then? "Emperor Yongle personally led his troops into battle, all nations submitted, a great emperor for all ages." The more he thought about it, the more pleased he became, and a smile unconsciously spread across his face as he chuckled twice.

After laughing, he realized there were still people around, so he quickly stopped laughing, cleared his throat, put his hands back behind his back, and resumed his usual dignified and unapproachable demeanor.

Empress Xu was squatting in the back garden, touching the leaves of the sacred flower, unaware of the commotion. Zhu Di glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and only after confirming that she hadn't seen him did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

"Fourth Prince," Zhu Di said quickly, taking advantage of Empress Xu's enjoyment of playing nearby. He looked at Zhu Gaoxi with pleading eyes and said, "Your father has something to discuss with you. It's about the expedition to Annam. It's alright if you can't ride the dragon. The dragon's back is really too hard, and it's uncomfortable to sit on..."